


Steve’s Babysitter Protocol

by Roxart



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: 5+1 Things, Angst, Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Pre-Slash, Sad Ending, Slash, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-10
Updated: 2019-05-10
Packaged: 2020-02-29 15:04:13
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 2,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18780682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Roxart/pseuds/Roxart
Summary: 5 Times Steve was there for TonyAnd 1 Time he was not.





	1. When Tony Forgets to Eat

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Hope you enjoy reading, and sorry if the chapters are a bit short!

Steve’s “babysitter protocol”, as the Avengers coined it, started out as a simple solution to Tony’s bad eating habits.

 

It was just another Tuesday morning (or was it Wednesday?) according to Tony’s internal body clock, although he’d stop counting a while ago. He was currently preoccupied with upgrading his suit by adding more resistance to corrosive chemicals that nearly caused a short circuit in their last battle. He was banging his head to AC/DC blasting through the speakers when it abruptly cut off, leaving an eerie silence in its wake.

 

“J.A.R.V.I.S buddy? What happened to my music?” Tony asked, hoping it wasn’t another avengers call. He was still exhausted from the last battle.

 

“You have a visitor, sir.”

 

“I do? Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” Tony swiveled his chair around and spotted Bruce smiling sheepishly from the doorway. “Dinner’s ready, Tony. Steve made sandwiches and he asked me to call you up. He’s worried you haven’t eaten since our last meal 2 days ago.”

 

“Dinner already? Wow I must have been down here longer than I expected,” Tony muttered to himself. “I’m almost done here, tell Steve I’ll be up in a minute.” Tony turned back to his glove on the table.

 

“Is this like that last time you said you’ll be up but you never showed?” Bruce asked concerned. Steve was not the only avenger aware of Tony’s destructive habits.

 

“Don’t worry, Brucie Bear! I’ll definitely be there!”

 

“Okay..” Bruce answered unsurely, exiting the workshop.

 

~

 

“You’ll _definitely_ be there huh?”

 

The genius jumped, dropping the screwdriver he was holding and turning to face the intruder. “Oh shit, I got caught up.”

 

Steve sighed, the screwdriver Tony dropped in his hand, his signature “I am not angry, just disappointed” look on his face. Damn, Tony hated that look.

 

“Look, I’ll come up with you right away, I’m sorry Capsicle. J.A.R.V.I.S. save my work, I’ll be back soon,” Tony frantically waved the holograms away, but stopped when the taller man caught his arm.

 

“There’s no hurry, Tony. Everyone’s done eating, they’re not at the dining table anymore.”

 

“Oh.. All of you have eaten?” Tony faltered, feeling unexcited about the idea of eating alone.

 

“Well.. Not everyone,” Steve smiled reassuringly, procuring a plastic bag from behind his back that the brunet did not see before. “I thought you wouldn’t want to eat alone. So I waited.”

 

Tony watched, speechless, as his Captain carefully cleared a space on his work table, taking out a variety of sandwiches and two bottles of water.

 

“If you aren’t going to feed yourself, then you are going to have to deal with me coming down here to eat with you.” Steve chastised him, holding a sandwich out.

 

“I think I can learn to live with that,” Tony grinned, taking a bite out of his sandwich.

 

After that incident, Tony would occasionally fling his hand out to find his tools replaced by various foods, or sometimes even utensils, and he’ll turn to see his favourite blond sitting on the couch (now branded “Steve’s couch”) beaming at him, with similar foods on hand.


	2. When Tony Doesn’t Sleep

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Tony forgets he needs to sleep.

“Hey, look who decided to grace us with his presence tonight!”

 

“Shut it, birdbrain,” Tony dropped down on the couch beside Steve, casually slotting himself under Steve’s arm. “So what are we watchin’?”

 

“Star Trek Into Darkness. Bruce chose it,” Steve replied, nudging the brunet closer leaving nearly no space between them.

 

“Hey, get a room!” Clint yelled playfully, lifting a pillow above his head.

 

“I would strongly advise against that, my friend,” Thor boomed, watching as the pillow went soaring towards Tony.

 

Tony barely flinched as Steve easily deflected the pillow. “Stop it, you two.”

 

Clint sulked as the genius stuck his tongue out in his direction, snuggling deeper into Steve’s side. “My hero,”

 

“Anyone else think Khan looks exactly like Strange?”

 

~

 

They were barely a quarter into the movie when Tony’s eyelids begun to droop, and he struggled to stay awake.

 

He was rubbing his eyes vigorously for the third time when Steve brushed his hands away from his face. “It’s okay. You can rest on me. I’ll be here.”

 

Tony turned his head and blinked sleepily at Steve, who grinned fondly back. “I don’t want to drool on you though,”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” Steve tucked Tony’s head against his shoulder, positioning him so that he was in the blond’s lap. “Rest. I got you.” Steve emphasized his point by wrapping his arms around Tony’s small frame and squeezing gently.

 

The motion of the taller man’s hand running through his hair put Tony at ease, and he drifted off soon after.

 

~

 

When Tony awoke the following morning, it was to soft chattering around him. He opened his eyes and glared at the two offenders smirking down at him.

 

“Good morning, sunshine. Sleep well?” Clint cooed, Nat at his side.

 

“As a matter of fact, I did. And if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to it,” Tony replied tiredly, burrowing his face into the warm wall of muscle he was currently laying on. The blond was still fast asleep, Tony wrapped securely in his arms. The slight movement seemed to stir Steve slightly, resulting in him turning to his side and taking Tony down with him.

 

The two spies began to chuckle silently, as Tony let out a surprised yelp, completely ignoring the brunet’s disgruntled stare.


	3. When Tony Risk Himself on the Battlefield

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, Tony forgets that people care about him too, but Capt is there to remind him.

“Cap, there’s a girl standing in the middle of the street and if no one gets there fast enough, she is going to get hit by the lasers,”

 

“On it, Hawkeye!” Tony called, swiftly changing course to intercept the laser currently speeding towards the terrified girl.

 

“Iron Man, don’t! We don’t know what that laser would do to your suit!”

 

“Well, then it’s time to find out. Better me than her right?”

 

Tony braced for the laser’s impact; what he did not brace for, was a wall of muscle flying into him, which was exactly what happened. Both of them tumbled onto the ground in a mess of limbs, barely missing the small girl who Nat managed to pick up before scurrying off to safety.

 

“Captain, the robot has been neutralized. It seems my lightning has managed to fry its circuits.”

 

“Well done, Thor.” The blond replied, groaning as his head hit the pavement.

 

“Dammit Cap, I _totally_ __had that!” Tony whined, pushing Steve off him and sitting upright. Steve turned from his spot on the rubble to glare at him.

 

“No you did not. You were willing to sacrifice yourself, again, and get hit by a laser that could potentially be lethal!” The Captain reprimanded him. “You were lucky I was close enough to block it with my shield.”

 

“I did the calculations, old man. The laser was too fast for either of us to move the girl out of the way so either you or me had to take the hit. And of course it had to be me. Better me than you,”

 

“ _No it isn’t_ ,” The way Steve was staring him down so seriously and intently sent a few shivers down Tony’s spine. He was honestly a bit turned on. “It most certainly is _not_ “better” that you take the shot so that I don’t have to. Tony, you have people who care about you, you have people who rely on you. Pepper needs you, Colonel Rhodes needs you, the team needs you, hell, _I_ need you, Tony. You cannot just throw yourself into every dangerous situation so recklessly because we need you, Tony, we _need_ you to stay alive and it kills me every time I see you do it. I don’t want to have to wonder if you’re going to make it out of every battle alive or if I have to bring you back in a body bag dammit.”

 

There was silence on the comms as Tony stared at Steve wide-eyed. The sincerity in his speech cut any retaliating remarks Tony had stored. This was definitely not what their usual banter was like.

 

“... Okay Steve, I understand.”

 

“Thank you, Tony.” Steve sighed, dropping back down on the ground, exhausted. He felt like a huge weight was lifted off his shoulders knowing Tony would be cutting down on the heroics from now on.


	4. When Tony Has Wounds that need Tending

“I’m _fine_! I don’t need some SHIELD medical agents to baby me! I can take care of myself,” Steve heard Tony yelling from medical. The blond sighed. He almost pitied the poor agent getting shouted at.

 

“Sir, I understand but at least let us check you over, you are quite badly scratched up and we have strict orders to make sure you’re healthy before you leave.” The SHIELD agent attempted to placate Tony, who looked 2 seconds from throwing a fit.

 

The sound of a throat clearing caught the attention of the room’s occupants, and they turned to see Steve still in his uniform leaning against the door jamb with an indulgent smirk plastered on his face. “What seems to be the problem?”

 

“Steve!” Tony called, his face lighting up as he scurried behind the blond. “Tell the agents to leave me alone, I’m fine!” The agents in the room rolled their eyes, knowing they could not get to Iron Man now that Captain America was his meat shield.

 

“It’s okay, I got this from here,” Steve shot them an apologetic smile as Tony whooped triumphantly behind him.

 

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without you Steve! I have an urgent project down in the workshop that I absolutely have to get working on, but they wouldn’t let me go and-“

 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Tony’s ramblings were cut off by Steve’s hand on his arm.

 

“Err.. my workshop? Were you listening to a word I was saying, or do you have hearing loss as a result of your old age?” Tony teased, trying hard to ignore how Steve’s hand on his arm filled him with warmth.

 

The taller man rolled his eyes fondly, gently tugging Tony towards him. “Not right now, you’re not. I have to get you checked out first so you don’t die on me just incase you have deeper wounds you aren’t telling me about.”

 

“What?” Tony whined exasperatedly even though he made no resistance as Steve pulled him along. “We just left SHIELD medical!”

 

“Who said anything about medical? I’ll check you over myself, since I can’t trust you to behave yourself around the agents,”

 

“Who said I’ll behave for you?” They turned the corner into an empty ward.

 

The raised eyebrow the brunet received for his comment had his face heating up, as Steve gently pushed him onto a seat and took out a first aid kit from the cabinet. 

 

“Hold still,” The Captain admonished, Tony’s arm held in a firm but gentle grip as he applied antiseptic cream to the shorter man’s open wounds.

 

“Ow, that hurts,” Tony whined, eliciting a chuckle from the Captain.

 

“There, is this better?” Steve asked, blowing gently on Tony’s injured arm.

 

“Ye-yeah,” The shorter man stuttered. His face reddened at how close Steve was. He could feel the heat radiating off the other man and the fact that he was tending to Tony so gently set his insides on fire. Steve continued to gingerly wrap Tony’s wounds in bandages, oblivious to his predicament.

 

“Hey, your face is red. Are you catching a cold?” Steve asked, worried blue eyes scanning the brunet’s blushing face. He brought one hand up to gently brush Tony’s face, completely oblivious to the fact that the other man was close to spontaneous combustion.

 

“If that’s the case, we should get back to the Tower quickly so you can get some rest.” Steve stood up, unaware that Tony let out a breath he was holding, and extended a hand to help him up.

 

“Well I am feeling a bit faint. Would my dear Captain carry me to the Quinjet?” Tony shot Steve an entirely too adorably mischievous smile.

 

“Fine, climb on,” Steve chuckled, turning and crouching to let an overly excited Tony Stark climb on.

 

“Onward!”

 

Steve sighed.


	5. When Tony Has Nightmares

Tony jolted upright in bed, sweat running in rivulets down his face and body. “Fuck,” He breathed. “Fuck!”

 

It was his most loathed dream again. It wasn’t even Afghanistan. It was seeing the death and destruction left by some cruel monster, but more importantly having Steve dying at his feet, taking his last breath in Tony’s own arms. The brunet bolted out of bed, he had to make sure Steve was okay, - only to crash heavily onto the floor. Panic filled his system as he struggled to get his foot untangled from his sheets.

 

He felt so, so cold and he just wanted to see Steve, he needed to see Steve, but now he was spiraling and he could hardly get himself to breathe. He clutched at his chest looking for the familiar cool metal and began to hyperventilate when he didn’t find it.

 

“-ony! Tony!” Tony suddenly felt himself scooped up in familiar muscular arms that were very very warm, and held against a broad chest. “.. St-Steve..?” He called out weakly.

 

“Just breathe with me, Tony. Follow my breathing. Can you feel my heart, darling? I’m alive, I’m okay, and you are too. I’m here now,” Steve bundled Tony close to his body so that Tony’s head was against his heart, and Tony struggled to take deep breaths, following his love’s instructions to the best of his ability. As he mimicked the blond’s breathing pattern, Tony felt himself began to calm down.

 

“You’re doing so well, Tony. J.A.R.V.I.S. told me you had a nightmare and that you were calling for me in your sleep. Was it the same nightmare again?” Steve spoke softly to the trembling body in his arms, being careful not to hold him too tightly.

 

“... Yeah, it was.” Tony buried his face in Steve’s shoulder, reluctant to speak anymore. Steve silently lifted Tony up in a bridal carry, lowering him back down on the bed.

 

“Wait, where are you going?” Tony latched onto Steve’s sleeve when he turned around. “I’m just going to the toilet, I’ll be right back, promise.” Steve kissed Tony briefly on the side of his head.

 

He came back a moment later with a damp washcloth and began to wipe the sweat carefully off Tony’s person, oblivious to the way Tony was looking at him.

 

“Do you need me to stay or do you want me to go?”

 

“Stay,” Tony replied quickly, looking down at the sheets. “Please.”

 

Steve lifted Tony’s chin with the crook of his index finger so that scared brown eyes met reassuring blue ones. “You don’t have to be embarrassed. I’ll always be here to chase your demons away,”

 

Steve leaned forward to place a chaste kiss on Tony’s cheek, slowly lowering him down so that he was enveloped in Steve’s arms.

 

In the morning, none of them mentioned Steve calling Tony darling that night.


	6. +1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Angst Warning! As well as Civil War Spoilers.

Steve swung his shield hard, the force of it sending Tony’s head flying back. Strong hands ripped the helmet off Tony’s head. Tony looked up at the blond, his eyes clouded by fear. The genius felt himself reeling not from Steve hitting his helmet, but from the fact that those malicious and cruel blue eyes were the same ones that were filled with tenderness and love every time Steve tucked Tony back into bed after a nightmare. That the same powerful hands that protected him on the battlefield and fed him food while he worked were the same ones that just threw him onto the ground like he was a rag doll.

 

He felt coldness seep through his veins as the Captain raised his shield. The emotional pain he felt as the blond brought his shield down on his chest, deactivating his arc reactor, completely eclipsed the physical pain. Steve knew, didn’t he? He knew how reliant Tony was on the arc reactor to keep his anxieties at bay. He knew how important it was to Tony that the blue light remains lit. He knew that Tony still needed it, to reassure himself that he was still here, that he was still alive. Sometimes, he thought that Steve took solace in it too, when they fought side by side in battle. He had never been so wrong.

 

Tony slowly pulled himself up as Steve rolled off him to pick Bucky up. The sound of the glass of the reactor falling to the ground mimicked the breaking of his heart. He would gladly live through Afghanistan and Pepper leaving him again if he did not have to feel this depth of pain again.

 

“That shield doesn’t belong to you!” Tony watched as Steve turned his back on him. _My heart belongs to you._

 

“You don’t deserve it. My father made that shield!” The brunet yelled desperately, his voice raw. _Please don’t go. Don’t leave me alone._

 

Steve didn’t even turn to look at him as the shield clattered to the ground and he stalked off without a second glance, Bucky’s arm around his shoulders.

 

Tony let his head hit the wall he was leaning on. The tears he was holding back rolled down his blood-stained face. He brought his gloved hands up to cradle his pounding head, remembering how it was once Steve’s hands in their place.

 

This time when Tony broke, Steve was not there to pick up the pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was heartbreaking to write as I had to watch the scene again. :( I hope I did it justice and thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it.


End file.
